My BetterPholio™

My Messages

Hello everyone.I just recently did a photo shoot of my sister, whom is a celebrity/singer/model/ on the beach. I am now getting emails of magazines interested in possibly using some of my work. Do you by any chance know about pricing? Is it best to sell them indivividually, or in bulk? If so, how much should I sell them for individually or in bulk? I also dont know much about copyrights. They want them emailed to them in high resolution, so they can do any touch ups, and print them for use. I am not sure where to go with this, and thought maybe you could help me. I am also not sure if they want a bunch, or just one. Any info you have would be very appreciated. Thank you, Brennen Cole

ps, I am an outdoor, nature, landscape photographer mostly, so this is a field that I am not aware of. Just so happened I did a photo shoot of my sister, and word got out about it.

To love this question, log in above
9/12/2006 2:47:38 PM

Mark Feldstein

My first question is whether your sister is over 18, and second, whether she signed a release allowing you to publish/distribute photos of her. That release, btw, should specify royalties, if any, that she may receive as a result of the images being published.

As to your main question, I'll lay odds that you haven't got a clue as to who or what the magazines e-mailing you really are, who they're representing, and whether they're in fact legitimate publications. I have a feeling that brown scratchy stuff being pulled over your eyes is wool.

You need a rate card from the publishers to see what they get from advertisers to get an idea of what to charge per photo per given size. You also need to legitimize them by inquiring with SRDS (standard rate and data service), talk (not e-mail but actually TALK directly to the editor(s) communicating with you, get their street addresses, and have them sign a stock delivery memo, not electronically but on real paper sent to them by mail or fed-x to a real street address and do this FIRST before you even think about sending them a single image.

In addition, magazines don't buy images in bulk. You're not a produce vendor. They buy photos to illustrate stories, stock, and usage rights, individual images or a series that illustrate a particular theme. Not a box of photos prepackaged at x number of images per box or a bunch like banannas. LOL !!!

As for rates, it depends on their press run, the size of the final image, the rights of usage, ad infinitim. Your contract with them (stock delivery memo) should also specify what, if anything they are allowed to retouch and for what purposes. If they balk at any of this, my guess is that they're not a legitimate publication and someone is trying to get you to provide them with a high res image, or series of them, to just go out and sell posters, etc., on their own, hence ripping off you AND your sister.

Seems you have quite a bit of homework to do and you should start with an older member pricing survey at APANational.com. (Advertising photographers of America) Here's a link to where you'll find our survey. As a celebrity, singer model, (whether she works on the beach of elsewhere) I'm assuming she has an agent. That being the case, start with him or her and check out this survey.

http://www.apanational.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3290

Take it light. Good luck.Mark

To love this comment, log in above
9/12/2006 5:17:08 PM

Christopher A. Vedros

Brennan,I looked at your sister's website and read her bio. I think your situation may be more complicated than just getting your sister to sign a release.

Does she have an agent or publicist? If so, they may have some contractual control over how her image is used. Since she has a record deal with a label, they may also have some interest depending on what kind of contract she has with them.

She has already appeared in some major publications, who worked out those deals for her?